Written by Markus Robinson, Edited by Nicole I. Ashland
Markus Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Rated PG-13 for intense action and violence, thematic material, some language, sexual content and teen drinking
The fact that “Chronicle” does get around the shaky camera effects, which seem to plague these “found footage” films, in a very clever way, is almost worth the price of admission. Directed by Josh Trank, who single handedly saves this film from a “Real World” type of unwatchable teen monotony, aka watching teen boys attempt to talk to girls and cry about how they have no friends or how nobody understands them. As for the visuals, the special effects are what they are. Meaning, not impressive (in fact very corny at times), but since most of the plot is not going for any kind of serious drama, the kind you would find in a superhero movie such as “The Dark Knight,” the low quality of the effects aren’t played off as anything more than low quality special effects. In fact, the only aspect of “Chronicle” that keeps this film from being an instant hit isn’t the special effects or the camera work at all; it is the actual story itself.
The premise of “Chronicle” plays out like a storyline off of the debunked television show “Heroes.” You have one character who is the most popular guy in high school, another who is the semi-popular jock and lastly you have the loser cousin character, aka the character that gets the short ends of the stick in films like this. In “Chronicle” that character is named Andrew. Well, Andrew’s mom is dying, his father is a raging alcoholic who beats him, and over time he has essentially turned himself into that misfit character from “American Beauty”, who creepily films everything. OK, so in the movie these guys happen to be at the same house party, where they find a mysterious crater-like hole in a field near the house and decide to explore it. Why? Because they are teenage boys I guess. In it they make a discovery that gives them superpowers, which in turn leads each one of them down very different paths; some darker than others.
The smartest aspect about the plotline itself is that it doesn’t try to bore the audience to tears by explaining a long drawn out back-story about what the origins of the mysterious thing in the mysterious hole that gives the boys said mysterious superpowers. Another thing that works in this plot’s favor is how realistic it attempts to be. And before I get comments criticizing me for thinking a movie about teenagers who obtain super powers is realistic, let me stop you right there. I mean realistic in the sense that if a group of actual teenage boys one day received “super powers,” it would be highly doubtful that they would try and save the world or anything like that. Chances are your average teenage boy would do just as the adolescents in “Chronicle” did; that is, fly around for no reason other than to see what it’s like, blow cheerleaders skirts up, and throw baseballs at each other’s faces in order to see if they could stop the baseball with their minds. Interesting stuff right? Well, for a while it is. But with that realistic feel, eventually comes with it the downfall of “Chronicle.” When it becomes apparent that the characters are not going to help anybody or do anything of note (with their powers) in certain instances, the story does become bland and or lackluster. To be fair, the climax does become more conventional and over dramatized, in a Marvel-ish style, which most audiences may enjoy a lot more than the first half of the film.
With all of that said, the biggest reason that “Chronicle” works is because of the camera work. It is as simple as that. If you are hesitant to see this film because you think “Chronicle” is going to contain lose-your-lunch visuals resembling “Cloverfield” or “I can’t see what’s going on” visuals resembling “The Blair Witch Project” or “The Devil Inside,” then you can lay your fears to rest because this film contains none of that, while still maintaining its hand-held camera integrity. How does it do that you ask? Well, you have to watch the movie to find out. I know, lame right?
Final Thought: The camera work is substantially more impressive than any story “Chronicle” has to tell. And while it is, for the most part, semi-entertaining, at the end of the day most of “Chronicle” feels like an underdeveloped, teenage, MTV version of “Unbreakable.” Plus, if you are expecting some kind of origins story, with a stylish comic book, saving the world, hero vs. villain likability, viewer beware: “Chronicle” is in no way that. But if you go in with an open mind, “Chronicle” is sure to surprise most, as (if nothing more) an impressive spin on the seemingly played out hand-held, found footage, faux-documentary genre.